Item Authoring > About Item Search > Searching for items with Item Search using the Semantic Search

Searching for items with Item Search using the Semantic Search

IMPORTANT: You must have the Item Search permission to access the Item Search screen. For more information, read About roles and permissions.

NOTE: Semantic Search is not available by default and requires Surpass Copilot to be enabled on your Surpass instance. If you are interested in using Semantic Search, contact your Surpass Customer Success Manager.

You can use Item Search to find items and item sets across all available subjects in Item Authoring. You can create searches using natural language, which the Semantic Search search type uses to find conceptually similar results.

When you have found the necessary items, you can create item lists for use in LOFT/Adaptive tests, Authoring tasks, or Review tasks. You can also bulk update items across multiple subjects in the Item Search results screen.

This article explains how to use the Semantic Search search type in Item Search.

1. Go to the Item Search screen

To view the Item Search screen, go to Item Authoring > Item Search.

2. Choose Semantic Search

Select Keyword Search from the Search Type toggle. The Search Type toggle is only available if Semantic Search is enabled.

3. Enter your search text

Enter your search text in the Search text entry field. The search is based on all question stem text, and answer options for Multiple Choice, Multiple Response, and Either/Or questions.

TIP: Use keywords and phrases for which you want semantically similar results.

4. Choose a minimum match

Use the Minimum Match slider to determine how closely each item should match what you searched for. Only results with a match percentage at or above this value will be shown.

TIP: If your search isn’t bringing back many results, select a lower value for a broader search.

Use the following guidance to interpret minimum match percentage values:

80%-100% – Likely paraphrased versions of the same item.
60-80% – Items share the same concept, worded differently.
40-60% – Items may share some context, but focus on different aspects.
0-40% – Probably unrelated in meaning.

5. Search for items

Select Search to find items that match your chosen search criteria.

IMPORTANT: Searches only return items you have permission to view and are in subjects with Surpass Copilot enabled.

Changes to items may take up to 10 minutes to be reflected in semantic search results. It may take longer than 10 minutes to return items from subjects where the Surpass Copilot setting has only recently been enabled, if for example multiple subjects were enabled and/or there is a large amount of item data.

6. View your search results

After your search is complete, the Item Search grid is populated with items matching the chosen search criteria.

A Match (%) column is added to the grid, displaying a percentage match value for each item. Toggle between ascending () or descending () order by selecting the column header.

For more information about the Item Search results grid, read About the Item Search results grid.

TIP: Select Hide Search to hide the search when viewing results. Select Amend Search to view the search and make any changes.